1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety razor.
2. Prior Art
One type of existing safety razor includes a plurality of blade tip guards that cover the tip ends of the blade members so that the cutting edges of blade members are exposed between the respective blade tip guards. Such a safety razor is advantageous in that the blade tip guards can soften the contact of the blade members with the skin; and even if the safety razor is moved in the direction parallel to the cutting edges of the blade members during use and the cutting edges slip over the skin in the direction of the length of the cutting edges, there is no danger of injury to the skin.
In such a safety razor, as seen in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. S56-46701, a guard plate which has a plurality of blade tip guards is provided so as to be wrapped around the blade tips of the blade members. Also, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H4-112377 discloses a razor in which a plurality of blade tip guards cover the upper surfaces of the blade tips instead of being wrapped around the blade members.
The blade tip guards disclosed in the above Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. S56-46701 are wide, but wide tip guards are generally poor in its whisker cutting efficiency. As a result, therefore, the width of the blade tip guards is designed narrower, so that the blade tip guards are slender.
When whiskers are shaved using conventional razors such as those described above, it often happens that the whiskers contact the immediately adjacent blade tip guards and push these blade tip guards in the lateral direction when the whiskers are actually cut, i. e., when the whiskers are in contact with the cutting edges exposed between the blade tip guards and are thus cut. As a result, after the whiskers have been completely cut, the blade tip guards that have thus been moved return to their original positions by their own elasticity. In such cases, the blade tip guards are moved to the left and right over the cutting edges of the blade members; and the blade tip guards rub against the cutting edges, damage the cutting edges, decreasing the sharpness of the cutting edges.
Such damages to the cutting edges which is resulted from the moving blade tip guards occur for almost the entire length of each of the cutting edges. Accordingly, damage to the cutting edges caused by the blade tip guards causes a greater deterioration in sharpness than the cutting of whiskers by the cutting edges does.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a safety razor in which damages to the cutting edges by blade tip guards are prevented even if the blade tip guards are moved along the cutting edges of the blade members.
The above object is accomplished by a unique structure for a safety razor which includes one or a plurality of blade members, and a guard plate that has a plurality of blade tip guards which extend at right angles (90xc2x0) relative to the blade tip edges (or cutting edges) of the blade members and cover the blade tips (or slant surface areas near the cutting edge) of the blade members so that the blade tip edges of the blade members are exposed through the spaces between the respective blade tip guards; and in the present invention the blade tip guards for at least one of the blade members cover the blade tip of such at least one of the blade members with a gap between the blade tip guards and the blade tip edge of such a blade member.
In the structure above, the gap is formed between the blade tip guards and the blade tip edges of at least one of the blade members so that the blade tip guards are not in contact with the blade tip edge of the at least one of the blade members; accordingly, the blade tip edge is prevented from being damaged even if the blade tip guards are moved when the whiskers are being cut.
Furthermore, the object is accomplished by another unique structure for a safety razor that includes three blade members (an upper blade member, middle blade member and a lower blade member) which are superimposed with spacers interposed between the respective blade members; and in the present invention, the blade tip guards over the upper and lower blade members are in contact with the blade tip edges of these blade members but the blade tip guards over the middle blade member are not in contact with the blade tip edge of the middle blade member by way of a gap formed between the blade tip guards and the blade tip edge of the middle blade member.
In this structure, the blade tip guards are in contact with the blade tip edges of the upper and lower blade members; however, for the middle blade member which tends to move by an especially large amount when subjected to laterally oriented pressure from whiskers during use is applied, there is a gap formed between the blade tip edge thereof and the blade tip guards, so that the blade tip guards are not in contact with the blade tip edge of the middle blade member. Accordingly, even if a lateral pressure is applied by the whisker during use, the amount of movement of the blade tip guards on the blade tip edges of the upper and lower blade members can be minimum; and as a result, damages to the blade tip edge of the middle blade member can be prevented, and also damages to the blade tip edges of the upper and lower blade members that can be caused by the movement of the blade tip guards can be also minimum. Thus, the overall deterioration in sharpness of the razor can be minimized.